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| This cathedral is a house of evil. |
When demons are killed they leave behind their soul for a short period of
time. Collecting souls not only gives you a point of health (stop grumbling,
there will be a lot of souls, one point is plenty) but if you collect enough of
them you’ll be transformed into an invincible beast for a short period of time.
The world will warp into a surreal grey distorted view but you’ll see enemies
standing out in bright red. The warping effect is used effectively in other
forms during the game, such as when you take a big hit or are affected by poison
gas.
Painkiller’s vision of purgatory and hell is a bit different than what you’re
used to seeing. Sure there are some cemeteries, dark cathedrals, and caverns,
but the architecture of these places is an otherworldly amalgam of styles
ranging from Gothic to Eastern that gives the game a unique look and plenty of
atmosphere. There are also unexpected settings such as a Renaissance
Venetian-style city replete with canals and a military base. All of the game’s
locations are somewhat surreal and exude a feeling of abandonment and lurking
evil. While the game essentially leads you from one zone in each level to the
next, the levels are designed to provide an illusion of greater freedom and you
never feel that you are moving along a constrained predetermined path.
When you complete a level you are given a summary screen which reports on your
success. There is some incentive here to replay a level until you can find every
secret, collect every soul, or kill every monster, but the stats are also used
to unlock special boosters in the form of tarot cards. Each mission will have a
goal such as collecting every soul or finding every secret area. If you complete
the goal you will be awarded a tarot card that can be played before entering a
level. Each card provides a different bonus that will last throughout the next
level such as slower enemies or faster movement. You can use multiple cards
before a level and combine their effects as well.
Painkiller also supports multiplayer games. Like the single player campaign,
multiplayer games are fast-paced fragfests. There are a few variations on the
theme, but basically the name of the game is deathmatch. Since the weapons in
the game are pretty powerful, you can expect a lot of kills - and quick deaths
if you’re new to this style of play.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
90%. Painkiller puts the action back into action gaming and will pull
you in, pump you up, and unleash the righteous demon-slayer buried within. Who
knew that fighting the armies of hell could be so much fun?
System Requirements: Pentium III 1.5 GHz; 384 MB RAM;
64 MB
Video RAM; 4x CD-ROM; 1.2 GB Hard Drive
Space; Mouse.
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